Internal combustion engine

Abstract

An internal combustion engine, which has soundproofing cowling, uses the space between the sidewalls of the cylinder block and the cowling to provide a reservoir for a liquid lubricant media. A cover cap is provided over the fuel injection and valve timing mechanisms, and the space between the cover cap and the cowling, which is over the top of the cylinder head, provides a chamber for receiving coolant from the engine cooling system. The large surface area of the cowling along the sides of the cylinder block accommodates the transfer of heat from the lubricant to the atmosphere. In addition both the lubricant and the coolant serve as sound deadening medias in the sidewall reservoirs and in the overhead chamber.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property of privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
       1. In an internal combustion engine having lubricating and liquid cooling systems including lubricant and coolant medias for use therein, a cylinder block having sidewalls and flanges thereon a cylinder head carried on top of the block and including intake and exhaust manifolds having flanges thereon, fuel injection and valve timing mechanisms carried on top of the cylinder head, soundproofing cowling means for encasing the sidewalls and manifolds and mechanisms comprising covers mounted to the flanges on the sidewalls and manifolds forming lower and upper chambers demarcated by the manifold flanges and a floor plate extending across the bottom of the engine and being connected to the sidewall flanges and defining a crankcase chamber housing a bearing support; wherein the improvement comprises:   a pump having an intake stack (36) inside the crankcase chamber (35) and a supply line (33) including a one-way flow check valve (32) therein connected to the lower chamber (27);   a lubricant inlet pipe (31) connected at one end to the lower chamber connected at the other end to the lubricating system;   a vapor collecting means including a first tube (37) having an upper open end extending above a predetermined level (28) of the lubricant in the lower chamber and a lower open end inside the crankcase chamber vertically spaced above the horizontal plane of the inlet pipe connection to the lower chamber, and a second tube (38) having a lower open end inside the crankcase chamber at approximately the same elevation as the first tube and an upper open end (39) connected inside the intake manifold (4); and   a cover cap (6) within the upper chamber (44) enclosing the mechanisms (7, 8) and forming a coolant receiving chamber connected to the cooling system.   
     
     
       2. In an internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, wherein the inlet pipe is connected to the lower chamber at approximately one-third of the vertical height of either sidewall. 
     
     
       3. In an internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, further including: a first gasket means (22) between the floor plate (23) and the sidewall flanges (21) for sealing the crankcase chamber from the atmosphere;   a second gasket means (26, 41, 42) between the covers (24, 25, 14) and the flanges (21, 43) on the sidewalls and manifolds for sealing the lower and upper chambers from the atmosphere; and   a third gasket means (40) between the cover cap and the flanges on the cylinder head for sealing the mechanisms from the coolant chamber.   
     
     
       4. In an internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, wherein the pump is mounted to the floor plate and the output line including the one-way flow check valve are both located inside the crankcase chamber, and the output line communicates with the lower chamber through an opening in one of the sidewalls. 
     
     
       5. In an internal combustion engine, according to claim 1, wherein the sidewalls of the cylinder block extend below the bearing support (18) forming sidewalls for the crankcase chamber. 
     
     
       6. In an internal combustion engine having lubricating and liquid cooling systems including lubricant and coolant medias for use therein, a cylinder block having sidewalls, a cylinder head carried on top of the block, first soundproofing cowling means for encasing the sidewalls at a spaced-apart distance therefrom and second soundproofing cowling means for encasing the cylinder head at a spaced-apart distance therefrom, the space between the outer surface of the sidewalls and the inner surface of the first cowling means forming a reservoir for the lubricant media and the space between the outer surface of the cyinder head and the inner surface of the second cowling means forming a chamber for the coolant media; the lubricant and coolant medias in their respective spaces providing sound bearers to engine noise. 
     
     
       7. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 6 wherein the first cowling means comprise sheets on each sidewall which are fastened along the edges thereof to the outer surfaces of the sidewalls and including first gasket means between the inner surfaces of the edges and outer surfaces of the sidewalls for sealing the reservoirs from the atmosphere; and the second cowling means comprise a cap on top of the cylinderhead having a depending skirt fastened along the bottom edge thereof to the outer surface of the cylinderhead and including second gasket means between the inner surfaces of the skirt and the outersurface of the cylinderhead for sealing the passageway from the atmosphere.   
     
     
       8. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 6 wherein one of the sidewalls is provided with a lubricant intake port communicating with the lubricating system. 
     
     
       9. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 6 wherein the cylinder head is provided with a coolant passageway which communicates with the chamber. 
     
     
       10. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 7 further including a third cowling means for encasing the bottom of the engine, the third cowling means comprising a plate connected at the edges thereof to the sidewalls and including a third gasket means between the inner surfaces of the edges and the outer surfaces of the sidewalls for sealing the bottom of the engine from the atmosphere. 
     
     
       11. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 10 further including a pump means for pumping lubricant collected in the bottom of the engine into the reservoir. 
     
     
       12. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 11 wherein one of the sidewalls is provided with a lubricant supply port which is connected to the pump means and includes a one-way flow control valve means therein for preventing flow of lubricant from the reservoir to the pump means. 
     
     
       13. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 12 wherein one of the sidewalls is provided with a lubricant intake port which is connected to the lubricating system. 
     
     
       14. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 13 wherein the lubricant intake port is located on the same one sidewall as the lubricant supply port and is located at approximately one-third of the height of said one sidewall. 
     
     
       15. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 10 wherein the sidewalls of the cylinder block extend below a main crankshaft bearing support which is connected to the cylinder block and form inner walls of a crankcase chamber and the plate which is connected to the sidewalls forms a floor for the chamber. 
     
     
       16. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 15 further including a first vent pipe means for communicating an upper air space in the reservoir to an upper air space in the crankcase chamber and a second vent pipe means for communicating the upper air space in the crankcase chamber to an intake manifold duct on the cylinder head. 
     
     
       17. In an internal combustion chamber according to claim 16 further including a pump means for pumping lubricant collected on the floor of the crankcase chamber into the reservoir. 
     
     
       18. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 17 wherein one of the sidewalls is provided with a lubricant supply port which is connected to the pump means and includes a one-way flow control valve means therein for preventing reverse flow from the reservoir to the pump means. 
     
     
       19. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 18 wherein the first vent pipe means communicates to the crankcase chamber through an opening in the one sidewall. 
     
     
       20. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 19 wherein the one sidewall is provided with a lubricant intake port spaced below the vent pipe means opening and in connected to the lubricating system. 
     
     
       21. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 1 wherein the sidewalls of the cylinder block extend below a main crankshaft bearing support which is connected to the cylinder block and form inner walls of a crankcase chamber; and further including a plate extending between the sidewalls and being connected to the bottom therefrom forming a floor for the crankcase chamber.   
     
     
       22. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 21 and further including a supply pump means for pumping lubricant collected on the floor of the crankcase chamber into the reservoir. 
     
     
       23. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 22 wherein one of the sidewalls is provided with a lubricant supply port which is connected to the supply pump means and includes a one-way flow control valve means therein for preventing reverse flow from the reservoir to the supply pump. 
     
     
       24. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 23 wherein the one sidewall is provided with a lubricant intake port spaced above the supply port which is connected to the lubricating system. 
     
     
       25. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 24 wherein the lubricant intake port is located at approximately one-third the height of the one sidewall. 
     
     
       26. In an internal combustion engine according to claim 24 and further including a first vent pipe means for communicating an upper air space in the reservoir to an upper air space in the crankcase chamber; and a second vent pipe means for communicating the upper air space in the crankcase chamber to an intake manifold duct carried on the cylinder head.   
     
     
       27. In an internal combustion chamber according to claim 26 wherein the first vent pipe means communicates to the crankcase chamber through an opening in the one sidewall which is located above the lubricant intake port.